"It's a bummer, obviously, what happened to him – been there more times than I care to admit," Wentz said regarding McCarthy's status. "But it's been fun to see how he's responded already, and exciting for me, I'm not gonna lie. It's been a couple years since I played in a game like this with real consequences."
Wentz's intentionality has drawn rave reviews from staff and players, including Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips, rookie QB Max Brosmer and veteran WR Adam Thielen.
During his weekly Xs and Os chat with Paul Allen on Vikings Audio Network, O'Connell said the intel on Wentz he gathered in conversations with Rams Head Coach Sean McVay and Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid aligned and has "already been confirmed with what Carson's been able to do on the practice field."
Take last Thursday as Exhibit A. McCarthy attended to his fiancée in labor; Wentz subbed in for the 22-year-old quarterback and repped with the 1s. O'Connell called it "one of the blessings" of last week.
A trial run, if you will.
Thursdays in the NFL typically entail blitz packages, third-down call sheets and a simulated environment that's hellbent on urgency, which can breed some player anxiety, O'Connell told Allen.
"We had a phenomenal Thursday practice and the ball, I don't think it hit the ground more than one time," O'Connell shared. "He was in total command. I was really pushing the group via the play clock coming off the Chicago game because I thought we were a little slow with our operation, especially early, and I was trying to push the entire group and obviously the quarterback is going to feel that.
"And Carson did a phenomenal job with that," O'Connell remarked and then recalled that Wentz has "carried teams on his back before" but won't need to do that in his Vikings debut if execution improves.